40 Dollar Cap?

[thundershot]

Are there any d20 books that have broken the "cap" of $39.99? I was looking through the books of various publishers, I couldn't see one.

I thought of this while recalling Ryan Dancey saying that in the future, the industry just might see books that are upward of 50 dollars. While it may seem really steep, if the book was something I was genuinely interested in, and it was top quality (writing and art), I'd probaby buy it.

What about the rest of you? Would you pay that much for a book? If not, what would be your limit? What would the book have to contain to make you interested?


Thanks!
Chris

 

[KnowTheToe]

Half a C-bill for something I could come up with myself. I don't think so. With the vast diversity and specific nature of the current publishings, what else do you really need?

Do you really need more crunch? Have you seen the vast amount of feats and PrCs, who could keep track of them all, who wants to?

Fluff? What fluff is worth $40, let alone $50.

Monsters, races, cultures. They have all been done and done and done and then redone. Use the free resources online and ask for help in filling in the gaps for your campaign and you could donate the $50 to Enworld or some charity.

 

[KnowTheToe]

I almost forgot. If the prices slip too high you will scare away the new players. It is hard to get a 14 year old kids parent to shell out $150 for a few core books to start a new hobby. They can spend $4 a week and play collectable card games.

 

[thundershot]

Well, the main reason I'm asking is that we're entering a time when we've got a handful of 40 dollar books coming out around the same time. It also seems that a lot of people are buying them, and I haven't really seen a whole lot of complaint about the prices. Personally, I can't wait until I own Oathbound. Price wasn't even an issue to me.

Oh, and the only book I've seen so far over 40 was the Judge Dredd metal cover limited edition by Mongoose, but it wasn't a mass release or anything...


Chris

 

[shouit]

There was also the Limited Edition Ravenloft that broke 40 dollars, don't remember the price though. I believe it was around 60 dollars, but it was a limited edition.

BTW, got a look at the Dread at GenCon, the metallic book is sooo cool.

 

[Crothian]

One of the local sores refuses to sale any RPG books over the price of 30$. Not that they don't carry the high priced books, they just only charge 30$ for them.

 

[Buttercup]

All other things being equal, we will eventually see prices for gaming books rise, just like prices for everything else.

I think there could be a market for a few really expensive products, if...and this is an important if...they are of the highest quality and break new ground of some sort. I can't tell you what sort of product would meet this criteria IMO, because I haven't seen it yet. But I routinely purchase $55 computer games along with the $20 hint book. So why wouldn't I spend the same amount on D&D?

 

[KnowTheToe]

One of the local sores refuses to sale any RPG books over the price of 30$. Not that they don't carry the high priced books, they just only charge 30$ for them.

That is how I buy them. If I can't find someone who is discounting them, I usually skip the item. I don't do this for Kalamar produsts because I really enjoy them and can't find them discounted, but after I get the Atlas, I can't see spending more than $30 on a product.

 

[thundershot]

Granted, I buy most of my books discounted through online retailers, so the only book I own I actually bought on impulse was the Forgotten Realms book. I still kick myself over this, since I never plan on using that setting. Most of the book is fluff I'll never ever need.

Oathbound, on the other hand.... <drools with anticipation>, I simply cannot WAIT to get my hands on. I also enjoyed the Epic Level Handbook (even though none of my Players are close to 20, it gives everyone something to look forward to).

Buttercup brings up a good point too. If people will drop 50 bucks for a computer game, why not a pen-n-paper game? D&D has a lot more longevity for me than a computer game.

Keep the thoughts coming!

Also... what do publishers and writers feel about this?


Chris

 

[Furn_Darkside]

Buttercup brings up a good point too. If people will drop 50 bucks for a computer game, why not a pen-n-paper game? D&D has a lot more longevity for me than a computer game.

Agreed- I bought Banewarrens for a third of what I bought NWN, and I can tell from reading it that I am going to get more use out of it then I got play time out of NWN.

While, for the sake of my wallet, I don't want to see a price increase- I would not fight or complain about it. The books have always striked me as too cheap.

FD